The single, most outstanding characteristic that sets REALTORS® apart from other real estate practitioners is the willingness to accept and abide by the Code of Ethics of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. The Code of Ethics, which was first adopted on July 29, 1913, is a living document, responsive in its content to changes in the law and industry. The Code of Ethics has been revised many times through the years to reflect current developments in professional real estate practice. The term REALTOR® has come to represent competency, honesty, and high integrity. These qualities stem from voluntary adherence to an ideal of moral conduct in real estate business practices.
Your local board of REALTORS® or WAR offers its members and their clients and customers a vehicle to economically expedite ethics complaints, arbitration, and/or mediation requests… If a monetary dispute arises from a real estate transaction or if you believe a REALTOR® may have acted in an unethical manner, seek a resolution through your local board of REALTORS® or state association. Ethics complaints that are brought before the board give those parties involved an opportunity to be educated about the Code of Ethics. In addition, REALTORS® are judged by their peers as opposed to other individuals who may be far less familiar with the practices and customs of the real estate industry.